I am not a bettor. I enjoy watching sports when I haven’t made a bet, and in the rare instances I have bet (or “punted” as the British and Aussies would say) on sports, I tend to enjoy the game so much less.
Nothing could be higher stakes right now than our Government here in the US. Therefore, I will not hold back, nor will I bet; I feel it important to make my (one man’s) perceptions known, simply as a matter of record—if not simply for my own piece of mind.
First my political affiliation: I am a social Moderate, and a Fiscal Conservative. I actually registered Republican to vote for Paul, and have been sorely disappointed by some of Paul’s inability to follow through and capitalize on the real grass roots energy behind a true conservative campaign, which would reduce the role of government in the economy and people’s liberties. I consider myself a quasi-Green-Socialist-Libertarian-Progressive, but I think like many thinking adults that I am not easily defined by either of only two parties.
I endorsed Obama in March, when the Clintons clearly were using race as a tactic to divide the electorate, and Paul was by then a non-factor. I would have withheld some judgment would McCain version 1999 have been in the race with non-Bushee advisors. But ‘tis not so, and that horse long left the barn.
That out of the way, I am determined that Obama be free from the Politics of the Past, and his administration be given every chance to recreate the possibilities of American Civil Society, Citizenship, and Liberty… even if I may not totally agree with him on tax policies among several other potential items.
Vice Presidential selection will say a lot about whom Obama is, or more accurately those he already surrounds himself with and whom they would deign to find the most politically economical choice.
I believe this means he cannot pick Hillary Clinton, and should avoid anyone from the Clinton administrations. The Clinton’s and their ilk have proven so divisive that they are essentially a third rail for Obama personally and politically.
In my opinion, no Senators should be up for the Veep job with another Senator. Aside from already losing last cycle as the VP, that would preclude Edwards.
Although tempting, recent converts to Dem ideology should also be ruled out. So, double-plus un-good for Webb, and all his baggage .
I like the thought of a military Dem, but could only find a list of four reasonable candidates. Maybe because I do not know who is who in the Military, but some non-Clintonian Dem with tons of Executive Military experience would seem to be a very good choice. I identified the following Clintonian Military Candidates;
Barry McCaffrey
Wesley Clark
Louis Caldera
And the semi-non-Clintonian (sort of) candidate is Anthony Zinni . However, I feel his political chops are probably not quite ready for prime time, and he is my choice for Secretary of Defense.
That leaves Governors. I think only Governors on their last Term should be considered, with solid Democratic replacements, and some political advantage to gain. Some small state governors are also off my list, and also a couple of the older less charismatic ones don’t show up here either. That leaves:
(Female Governors)
Jennifer Granholm
Janet Napolitano
Kathleen Sebelius
(Male Governors)
Bill Richardson
Mike Easley
Ed Rendell
Phil Bredesen
Tim Kaine
A good list to choose from, but Rendell and Easley are Clintonians—throw the babies out with the bathwater. I like Granholm, but she was born in Canada.
THE LIST:
1*. Bill Richardson. Absolutely the most experienced of all the choices, and would only be trumped in that category by Al Gore himself. Would help to shore up the Catholic Vote; Consolidatse the West, but has the same issue as Napolitano (NM is already leaning towards Obama, and a Western governor may only serve to solidify the votes in WA, OR, CA, NM, and CO)— no real pick ups except maybe NV and MT; Possibly he could be the Latino Galvinzator, so to coin a phrase, to help win FL and dare I suggest TX? Negatives: Like Al Gore he is technically (Clinton) Old Guard; He also has made enemies of the Clintonians, and the idea of not picking a Clintonian is to also not pick someone potentially offensive to that Clinton Old Guard; and finally, although I truly think he would be quite an excellent choice (why I listed him as number one with an asterisk), he does not assuage the de facto racists . But the question is do we need to try to assuage them ? My pick for Secretary of State.
2. Kathleen Sebelius. Fits the profile: Non-Clintonian that has not offended the Old guard; (White) Female who can reassert some of the gains Hillary made for shattering the glass ceiling (and possibly heal some of the rifts between Clinton and Obama supporters); A unifying force in a Red State with a good and well documented bi-partisan track record; and can help to shore up the Catholic Vote while solidifying the Mid-West (IA, KS, maybe MO, others [IN, MI, WI]) states. Like most governors who are not Bill Richardson, we have the downside of no real International Experience. My choice for VP.
3. Tim Kaine. Probably this is one of the safest possible choices, as he has extensive Executive experience. He would not lose votes, may help shore up Catholics, some Southerners, and to a lesser extent that “white male” voting block. Most clearly one could expect he would shore up VA… maybe SC and IN. International Experience is again the downside. Anyone for Webb should rethink and consider Kaine instead, unless they like the military credentials then go back to Zinni—just not Webb !
Honorable Mention
4. Janet Napolitano. Excellent and as experienced as she may be, she is not as charismatic in my humble opinion as Sebelius or Richardson, who cover the blocks (Female or West) better. They are Catholics, and she is a Methodist… not that it matters all that much, but the North East Catholic block seemed to be elusive to Obama in the Primaries. Like Richardson, if he weren’t to have traction with Latinos, she doesn’t represent enough of a pick up, because states she might assist in like CA, NM, and CO are already leaning or in the Dem camp… so AZ (maybe… remember McCain is from AZ) becomes the only (potential) pickup, unless she can help swing NV and MT. She is my pick for Sect of Interior.
5. Phil Bredesen. Another “safe” Southern-White-Male pick. He is not as Experienced as Kaine, he’s not Catholic, and we already had a VP from TN (think vague Clintonian afterglow). This choice may only help to offset some potential Southern prejudice, maybe assisting in picking up TN, MO, SC and maybe some Appalachian bump for OH and PA.
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